The role of weathering in trace metal redistributions in the mayday mine dump near silverton, colorado

摘要

Geochemical and mineralogical analyses of 46 samples from siz drill cores in the Mayday mine pile near Silverton, Colorado, demonstrate wide variability in trace metal contents with spatial location. This variability results from the original geochemical composition of mined rock, mixing of ore and non-ore rocks during emplacement of the pile, and weatherming since rocks were placed in the pile. Weatering reaction are controlled by factors such as pile thickness (depth), water availability, microbial activity, and mineral dissolution and formation kinetics. These factors result in variable redistributions of trace metals from primary (ore) to secondary (weathering products) minerals within each core.